Book of Mirrors?

I was browsing some Pagan shopping sites online when I came across an item called a Book of Mirrors. Intrigued, I noticed that the seller admitted that it was basically a Book of Shadows - otherwise known as a Grimoire; the difference being nominal. There is no need to have a separate book other than for the sake of the revenue it brings to New Age stores. Looking at current stock has been the easiest way to keep up with current 'trends' within the Pagan world, most items are the same every year in keeping with traditions- occasionally something a bit different pops up.

Pagan Diaries are likely the most popular kind of 'mystical' book we have, along with wall calendars depicting the moon phases. There's a type of lunar gardening being used by some of us, with the 'tides' of the moon being considered important when it comes to planting seeds and harvesting or pruning. https://www.lunarium.co.uk/articles/lunar-gardening.jsp This link has more detail for anyone interested. Also https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9010443/Moon-planting-just-a-passing-phase.html an article in the telegraph which sensibly warns against getting sucked into all manner of old wives tales and folklore. Other pagan diaries have blessings suggested for each day of the year along with festivals and articles of interest.

Llewellyn's Spell-a-Day Almanac is a relatively easy to find diary, full of Pagan correspondences and prayers.

A wall poster depicting the phases of the moon over the year is another attractive addition to the kitchen, as many celebrations and events involve feasts- or at least a different kind of food for the occasion.

A Grimoire was originally a collection of spells and recipes- or among the ritual magicians, a collection of spirits usually known as 'demons',  like a guide to Pandora's box.

The modern Grimoire, usually known as a Book Of Shadows can take two different forms. The commercial variety is available as a series of parchment coloured loose sheets (see image). These are often sold singly with basic information such as medicinal and spiritual use of trees and herbs or mental and spiritual colour meanings for use with candles. The loose parchment pages can be bound together to create a book, they are often decorated with attractive simple illustrations. Particular colours and items are used at festivals or in connection with blessings. There is nothing mystical about this; we use red at Valentines Day; pastels for Spring and gold, red and green at Yule. Most trades follow this same system which means it's easy for us to buy colour themed things year-round as appropriate.

A personal Grimoire can be a work of art. They are traditionally leather bound, plain paper volumes with drawings, notes, and cards or leaves glued in.

Loose sheets can be used, notebooks, sketchbooks or normal appointment diaries, with the most common content being herb lore, prayer, poetry, symbols, recipes for ritual oils or bathing items, alter and deity information and so on. They can also include personal consequences of prayer and 'spellwork', along with oracle or Tarot readings and records of strange dreams. Not everyone has time or skill to create a masterpiece (see image) but the point is to create a record to look back on. If anything goes wrong in life, or anything went well, we can make a note of how it can be avoided or recreated in the future. Recurring themes are easier to notice when written down so we are able to address them. And this brings us to the idea of a Book of Mirrors. A Book of Shadows is often shortened to a BOS, so I'm guessing a Book of Mirrors would be a BOM. The BOS is generally an item used by Witches rather than a Shaman or average Pagan.
The BOM is more personal (according to the seller); this is where the most personal experiences would be recorded, the results of ritual and presumably any self-development work such as chakra or dream exercises. The BOS would simply be kept for recipes -either food or ritual Alter products. Some people will also have another book used exclusively to record dreams. Traditionalists have one large volume with everything in it for easy reference. Pages can be left blank, or more glued in to write down the results of a prayer for example, or to add drawings and photographs later. A 'Witch Book' such as these are in essence the merging of a travel journal and a recipe book. In psychology it is often suggested to keep a 'mood diary' or a 'behaviour diary', particularly in CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). Over a single week, jotting down our moods over the day or noting our basic behaviour can illuminate health problems and other problems holding us back. Most BOS are attempts to make our lives healthier and better, recording these ceremonies and activities allows us to see what actually works. A Master Grimoire is one which has taken a lifetime or many generations to perfect and use. We borrow from each other, sharing information among our communities for a more successful life.

Images (pinterest/deviant art etc) found via Ecosia search engine, the only search app which plants trees. They recently planted 50 million trees thanks to everyday people using the Internet.

Blessed Be.

Volk Bowie 2019

Volk; Russian; 'Wolf'.
Volkhv; Russian/Norse; 'heathen/sorcerer/priest'; originally 'Volva'.
Volva; Norse; female witch priestess/midwife. When raiders/Vikings settled in Russia they took their religion but not their women, thus became the Volkhv, the male priests.